Equinox in the Spring
by DarlingDearestDeadForever
Summary: 'He's worse than Sasuke,' was all she could think. At least with Sasuke, she was in control of her feelings. But with him, no. He gripped her, and she was utterly lost. Afterall, how can she outsmart a genius? Drabble series (as well as starting points for some long-term stories) about the Deer and the Bushclover. ShikaIno.
1. Chapter 1

**#1: Martyr **

She wakes up to a lot of white. And Shikamaru screaming love.

"What the hell was that, you troublesome woman?! Don't you know I've planned everything – right up to how many goddamn grandchildren we're gonna have? You don't get to fucking back out now!"

The grip on her shoulders is gentle, his eyes wide with panic, and their sensei, teammate and parents all snickering in the background.

Years later, as she faces her 6 grandchildren, she asks him. His begrudging answer only makes her laugh.

"I thought we were gonna have 7."

* * *

><p><strong>#2: Genius<strong>

4 months after Ino asks, her youngest child, Inomaru, and his wife, Naoko, tell them the good news.

Shikamaru scoffs beside her before turning to her with a big grin.

She groans.

* * *

><p><strong>#3: Start<strong>

The 3 of them are all 5 years old when they first meet (and actually remember, their playdates as infants don't really count).

His father tells them to go play outside for a while. So he brings them to the Nara forest to meet Rikumaru – the newest deer in their family.

It's all really fine (and not troublesome at all).

Because Ino is surprisingly good with deer, and he's just a little bit in love.

* * *

><p><strong>#4: Accident<strong>

The first time that his mind betrays him happens during Chouji's 7th birthday.

There are other clan children around and Ino – ever the bright-eyed girl – was greeting everyone who came to the door while he and Chouji shared his potato chips at the side, merely waving at the guests.

Then Mikoto Uchiha comes in with her husband and 2 sons.

And Ino is smiling a little bit too much at the boy their age, shyly hiding behind his mother's leg.

As Sasuke slowly steps forward, he smiles back at Ino. She practically becomes the sun.

Shikamaru frowns and before he knows it, he has one hand around Ino's wrist and a glare fixated on the Uchiha spare.

"Ino's my troublesome blonde friend, go find your own!"

There's a short silence before Ino shrieks and smacks the back of his head.

* * *

><p><strong>#5: Date Night<strong>

"Shikamaru…did you get me flowers from my _own_ shop?"

* * *

><p>AN. These were all written a long time ago, probably a few months after Shippuden started airing as an anime. I kept it back for so long because I didn't really think I'd be continuing this drabble series but once the 4th Shinobi War Arc started in the manga, I started it again. Then chapter 700 came out and I felt sad and thought we needed more ShikaIno love. - DarlingDearestDeadForever


	2. Chapter 2

**#6 Crescendo**

The missive comes suddenly.

It's a gloomy afternoon, a perpetual drizzle that coloured the sky grey and made the wind almost bitingly cold. The 3 of them are at the triage when Pakkun suddenly poofs into existence in front of Kakashi-sensei with a scroll in his mouth.

Ino's almost ready to faint dead from chakra exhaustion when Kakashi-sensei turns around and makes the announcement.

It's over. They won the war.

She looks around and sees the living and the dead. She smiles ruefully before closing her eyes, ready to let fatigue take over when she feels a hand land on her shoulder. She turns around, kunai in hand and gaze sharp, only to meet warm brown eyes and a tired smile. Grinning, she puts her kunai back in its holster.

"We won!" she exclaims, gripping tightly onto Shikamaru's hand. Then without warning, she jumps into his not-really-awaiting arms.

The words 'troublesome woman' are all but ready to tumble out of his lips when a rush of warmth floods him as her arms encircle his neck and her body presses up to his. In the background, he can faintly hear Chouji calling out to them, probably to celebrate the good news.

But Shikamaru is already lost, one arm winding around Ino's waist and the other hand resting on her neck.

'Searing,' she muses, becoming hyper aware of how his fingers tingle with electricity as they caress her skin. Then he leans in.

Just before their lips touch, her mind _sings_.

_Yes._

Shikamaru kisses her deeply, urgently, and it's like a dam breaks. He has wanted this for so long and now he finally has it. He finally has her.

He pulls her closer, and closer, and closer still. It was never enough and it still isn't. Dazedly, he thinks this must be why the men from his clan have a history of substance abuse. Just like all of them, just like his father – he is an addict.

"What?!"

They jump apart abruptly and turn with red faces to the direction of the screech.

Their teammate is looking at them, slack-jawed.

"When the hell did _this_ happen?"

* * *

><p>AN. AU. (Haha of course.) I admit, this was how I sort of wished they would become canon in the manga. Ahhh, oh well. Would love to know how you readers envisioned their canon-making moment as well! - DarlingDearestDeadForever


	3. Chapter 3

**#7 Bile**

It started when she was dropped again.

An important mission that called for the skillset only an Ino-Shika-Cho combination could provide came up. But instead of her, a distant and more experienced elder cousin has taken her place.

"It was requested for by the team leader," was the explanations the chuunin at the missions desk gave her.

The team leader was Shikamaru.

As Ino walked back to her family shop, she mused. She could almost hear how he would've asked Tsunade – in that distinctive drawl of his, with his hands in his pockets. The word 'troublesome' echoed in her mind not unlike a broken record. It made her feel ugly - ugly in her bitterness, ugly in her understanding and ugly in her loneliness.

The bitterness pooled in her gut and coiled like a tapeworm that leeched from her and made her feel weirdly hollow. 'Toxic' was what her Kunoichi Arts sensei called it – the resentment of one's own situation and helplessness – she was eating her own toxic.

Someday, it would surely eat her back.

At that thought, Ino suddenly stopped in the middle of the street, ignoring the angry grumbles of the people walking behind her. She looked up. The sky was blue and cloudy. Shikamaru would've loved it.

She spat on the ground.

She laughed bitterly to herself, already feeling the toxic starting to burn her inner linings, spreading now as a mild heat that would soon surely scorch her, leave her tearing at her own skin.

_Why don't you trust me?_

She came home hours later, the house ghostly silent at 1am, her knuckles bloodied and throbbing.

The patrolling chuunin in charge of the training grounds would report a new wooden post needed for training Ground 10 come morning.

* * *

><p>AN. AU. This is set during Shippuden before Asuma-sensei died. It's one of those stories that came to me because of this yearning to have Ino portrayed as something different than the usual.

I'm actually really interested in an Ino that is hiding behind a mask all the time, someone who's actually a lot similar to Sasuke's darkness. I've never 'shipped' SasuIno seriously, only in flings, but I always thought that her interest in him ran differently – not deeper – than infatuation. I like to think she was drawn to him because he was the same as her. And this drabble is reflecting just a bit of that unseen side.

It isn't really a romantic ShikaIno, not explicitly, but I love how there is such potential for emotional torment between them, as really different personalities? Haha, angsty ships have forever been the ones that made me go crazy.


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